- 3 hours ago
This special report anchored by Akshita Nandagopal examines the political friction surrounding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the Indian economy. Gandhi characterizes the current fiscal state as a dead economy, citing the impact of 50% US tariffs on Indian textiles under the Trump administration. The program features a debate between BJP’s RP Singh and Congress spokesperson Anshul Avijit regarding infrastructure spending, private investment, and poverty alleviation. Insights from the World Economic Forum in Davos include perspectives from economists like Geeta Gopinath on India’s growth trajectory and data transparency. Additionally, the report features NASA astronaut Sunita Williams reflecting on her 27-year career, her bond with Kalpana Chawla’s family, and the future of lunar exploration. The broadcast also covers the impact of heavy snowfall in Jammu, Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, which has disrupted flights and road connectivity. This comprehensive coverage bridges domestic economic policy, international trade relations with the United States, scientific milestones, and the logistical challenges posed by winter weather in northern India.
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00:00Leader of Opposition Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has again sparked a political storm by reviving his dead economy attack, this time linking it to Trump's tariffs on Indian textiles.
00:13Sharing a video on social media, Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the Prime Minister and said people in India are hit hard by the tariffs and then repeated his dead economy taunt.
00:23The BJP is hit back, rejecting these claims. We'll first get you this detailed report of what Rahul Gandhi said and the counter.
00:34Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has revived his controversial dead economy attack, this time targeting the impact of steep US tariffs on Indian textiles.
00:43Flagging 50% US tariffs and warning of job losses and factory closures, Gandhi squarely held Prime Minister Narendra Modi accountable.
00:55He insisted the economy is in dire straits, a phrase he has used repeatedly in recent months.
01:02The BJP hit back sharply, rejecting the claims and describing the textile and garment sector as resilient and expanding.
01:09They accused Gandhi of spreading negativity even as exports grow.
01:13This is not the first time Gandhi has used the dead economy line.
01:37In 2025, he echoed former US President Donald Trump's debt economy jibe originally made on his social media platform, Truth Social.
01:48He even agreed with the characterisation, a move that sparked controversy within his own party.
01:54Yes, he's right. I mean, everybody knows this, except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister.
02:06Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy.
02:10I'm glad that President Trump has stated a fact.
02:14Trump has written that India and Russia could take their dead economies down together, criticising trade barriers and tariff levels.
02:30Gandhi used this to argue that New Delhi must address deeper economic challenges.
02:34The renewed barbs highlight how economic performance has become a central battleground in national politics,
02:41with both sides trading sharp jabs over jobs, growth and global trade.
02:48Bureau Report, India Today.
02:50So, is India's economy a dead economy?
02:57Rahul Gandhi suggests it is.
02:59But we've been in the last one week at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
03:04obviously had a chance to speak to some of the top economists and experts on India's growth story.
03:11Do they believe that India is a dead economy?
03:13Do they believe India is growing at the right pace?
03:16Listen in to what the experts have to say.
03:18The data that is being thrown by the government lacks transparency and therefore should we go by the headline GDP numbers
03:26or actually try and break it down into specific sectors?
03:29So, the grades are an absolute measure, not a relative measure.
03:33So, my previous point was saying that most emerging markets find themselves in that bracket
03:39because they don't have the national statistics being done the way it can be done.
03:45That requires investment.
03:46And actually, the IMF is working together with the Indian Statistics Office to improve on this kind of data collection.
03:55And there's an important round that's being done right now in terms of rebasing,
03:59which will help improve the quality of the statistics.
04:01Because, again, one of the concerns is how do you get private investment back on track in India?
04:07If India has got to go to the next level, despite all the incentives the government has given,
04:11private investment has been sluggish, it's been largely state-driven capital investment.
04:17Do you believe that's where the ease of doing business, of ensuring that there's a growing business confidence needs to be restored?
04:23Also, a climate free of fear, if I may call it that.
04:27That businessmen need to believe that they will not be unfairly penalized for actions they take.
04:33I do believe that the complications in terms of being able to do business,
04:39all of the areas where I said reforms were needed, including on land, are holding back private investment.
04:46And, indeed, you want to be in a predictable environment when it comes to regulations, when it comes to government policies.
04:53And sometimes, you know, that has not been as predictable as it should be.
04:57So, global growth projected at 3.2% for the year that was.
05:03The year that was.
05:04The year that was is 3.2.
05:05Many believe it's going to be 2.3 for the year that goes ahead.
05:093.3 for the year.
05:10Do you believe that 2.6, 2.7 will maintain 3.3% or do you see a further slowing down?
05:18Given what we know, I would say 3.3 is possible because for a lot of economies of the world,
05:26they're going to benefit from the rate cutting cycle, including in India, where interest rates have come down.
05:32There is fiscal stimulus in several countries that's coming in, including in the U.S., Germany, China.
05:38All of those work in favor of being able to maintain growth, including in terms of the AI spending space.
05:48But, you know, the risks are, what we might see here from the speech, very soon that could happen in about a half an hour from now,
05:57and whether we have another big eruption of tariff and trade wars across the major nations of the world,
06:03whether there's a trigger of inflation, because the risk, I don't think that's being priced into markets right now,
06:08is that inflation could be higher in the U.S. than what's being expected,
06:12in which case the Fed would have to raise interest rates and nobody's really expecting that.
06:16So where does India then fit into this?
06:19We are one of the fastest growing, if not the fastest growing economy, large economy in the world at the moment.
06:25How should India deal with Donald Trump? Just shut off the noise. Is that possible at all,
06:30given the fact that we now don't even know whether a trade deal will happen with the United States?
06:34How should India deal with this face of Donald Trump 2.0?
06:39Look, at the broad macro level, what India should recognize is time is on its side.
06:45India has been doing extremely impressively economically.
06:49And this is basically, at this point, it's fair to say, is a 25-year story.
06:54India has been progressing.
06:55If you look at the numbers under the Manmohan Singh government and the Narendra Modi government,
07:00they're actually roughly the same.
07:01Per capita GDP growth is about the same.
07:04And what's important now is there is a certain critical mass that has been reached.
07:09And 20 years of growth means in year 18, 19, 20, for example,
07:14the government has revenues of really substantial size.
07:17So you see that in the infrastructure build out.
07:20And Modi has been a very good manager of the economy in most ways.
07:24So I think all of that, just keep doing, focus on modernizing the economy, modernizing the society.
07:33India has a huge advantage.
07:35Most of its economy is domestic economy.
07:38Most of its economy is a consumption-based economy.
07:41Most people don't realize this is very rare.
07:42India and the U.S. are actually, I think, and Indonesia are the only countries where consumption as a share of GDP is over 60%.
07:51In China, I think it's 30%, 35%.
07:53So all those countries rely on exports to fuel their economy.
07:59India doesn't.
08:00India relies on internal consumption.
08:01Now, you do want exports because they are high value, they support high-paying jobs, they take you to the frontiers of technology.
08:09So continue trying to move in that direction as much as you can.
08:13You know, the iPhone story in India is a remarkable story, from zero to now supplying 45% of America's smartphones.
08:22Continue along those lines.
08:24Continue along, you know, EV lines.
08:26On the foreign policy side, have patience.
08:30Trump is volatile.
08:31Trump is idiosyncratic.
08:33And, you know, to the extent you can, as I've often said, manage him.
08:38Try to humor him.
08:39Try to find, if the guy likes big, fancy state dinners, throw him a big, fancy state dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan,
08:47which, by the way, is four times the size of Buckingham Palace.
08:50And, well, they had a few hundred horses out there.
08:53India could have a few thousand elephants.
08:54You could have the Maharajas and Maharanis, you know.
08:58If the government is lacking any initiative or imagination, I would call the Ambani's and ask them how to throw a nice party that will impress the world.
09:08You know, play along with that.
09:10Because he clearly, as I say, he is a narcissist.
09:15And he likes being the king.
09:17So treat him like that.
09:19And if you can get a good trade deal out of it, great.
09:22But, you know, mostly have the patience to know that you're not going to die one way.
09:27You know, this is not a make or break for India.
09:29It's not going to kill India.
09:31But don't give up the courtship.
09:35Because, you know, honestly, India needs the deal more than America does.
09:38You know, the Indian economy has almost no impact on America.
09:44It's a pimple on the, you know, on the giant.
09:48But America does have an impact because America is going to be the force that helps India move up the value chain in terms of technology, in terms of economy, in terms of the kind of industries.
10:00India should be aspiring to be at the frontier of technology, not just doing cheap labor stuff.
10:07And to do that, you need a partnership with America.
10:10How should India see itself as we go ahead to 2026?
10:13What do you see India's immediate 12-month timeline?
10:17I'm not even looking beyond 12 months.
10:18As you said at the beginning, India is a middle power.
10:21It's very important.
10:22It's stable.
10:24And the fact that India has leadership that is more consolidated and popular than leadership in almost any other democracy around the world, only Mexico really has similarity among larger countries, means that India is capable of pushing back in ways that other countries are not.
10:39That helps India.
10:40Consistent leadership over time is something that is lacking in the world today.
10:45India looks very stable.
10:46It's a great growth story.
10:47But still, the Americans and the Chinese are dominating most of the conversations.
10:52When you talk to the big players here, who are allocating capital all over the world, and they say, we don't trust the United States so much anymore, what are they talking about?
11:01Reallocating to China.
11:02Because China has the market size, and China has the technology.
11:06India is not in that conversation at this point.
11:10I'll bring in Siddharth Zarabi, who's joining us from Davos.
11:13Siddharth, for the last one week, has been getting us a slew of exclusive conversations with these top economists.
11:18Siddharth, you've been speaking with these global leaders, these economists, many of whom are praising, and we've just heard a sample of those.
11:25They're praising India's economic performance.
11:27And yet, here, Rahul Gandhi has again revived his dead economy taunt.
11:33How do you read that contrast?
11:35But most importantly, to you, Siddharth, where does the reality lie?
11:38Well, very clearly, it is disconnected from the data and the perception around the Indian economy.
11:48We've been here at Davos for five days.
11:51The Indian presence amongst the largest from any country in the world, and let me also tell you that this is one of the highest turnouts that Davos has witnessed in recent times,
12:02primarily on account of the geopolitical background, including what President Trump has been up to.
12:09His session here was an absolutely jam-packed session, as we all know.
12:13As far as the Indian economy goes, we've spoken to dozens of voices, not just Indian voices, who you could call chair leaders for the Indian economy,
12:23but global voices, noted economists like Geeta Gopinath, a host of foreign policy analysts, not a single person says anything of the kind that seems to have been alleged in this remark that you cited.
12:38In fact, there is expectation that the Indian economy could do even better.
12:43Let me just give you two instances for that.
12:45One, the fact that 2025 was the year of reforms in India, and 2026 promises to perhaps be even better.
12:54We are literally just days away from the union budget, and we will definitely see certain announcements on that front.
13:01The second bit, and Geeta Gopinath, one of the foremost voices in the international economic analyst sort of firmament,
13:12made it very clear that the question of India's economy becoming even larger is certain, because even the maths supports that.
13:22So, it is, I think, pure politics.
13:26It is also very clear that as far as Davos is concerned, and as far as the perception towards India is concerned,
13:34business has trumped politics in Davos.
13:39Leading states, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, a whole host of states and their delegations are going back,
13:47having achieved significant conversations with global corporations, as well as Indian companies.
13:51And I think the results speak for themselves as far as the Indian economy is concerned.
13:58Okay, thank you very much, Siddharth, for joining us, giving your perspective of this big political fight, as you put it, that's playing out.
14:06I'll bring in on this broadcast our political panelists as well.
14:10We've got R.P. Singh, spokesperson of the BJP, and Anshul Avijit, national spokesperson of the Congress.
14:15Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you for your time.
14:17Anshul, I'd like to begin with you on the statement made by Rahul Gandhi.
14:20Look, it's one thing to question, Anshul, the tariffs that have been imposed by Trump, the impact of it, which is what Rahul Gandhi has done.
14:26But is it an exaggeration then to follow that up by calling India a dead economy?
14:32No, no, absolutely not.
14:34In fact, I think, you know, Mr. Gandhi put it rather mildly.
14:37I'm going to go even further.
14:39The economy has been systematically been destroyed and killed by this government, beginning with demonetization, completely destroyed India's backbone.
14:50If you remember after that, the GDP precipitated to levels that were, they came down even further during COVID.
14:57Then there was that clunky GST that took 11 years to get a reform.
15:02You know, I just heard Siddharth say that 2025 was the year of reform.
15:06If you're going to take seven years to reform a bad law, then you can imagine the pace in which the government is moving.
15:14We are absolutely doomed in that case.
15:15Then after GST came a lowering of corporate tax, they removed it.
15:20They thought it would, you know, somehow unleash animal spirits in private investment.
15:25That didn't happen.
15:26Then you had COVID where household savings completely permitted.
15:29You've got decreasing investment in health and education that is seen by the budget year after year.
15:35Akshita, go and have a look at it.
15:36Please go and have a look at it.
15:38And time and again, the macro figures that are emerging are absolutely disturbing.
15:43Now, I'll just give you one macro figure.
15:45Now, you'll say that the GDP in the Q2 was 8.2%, but the nominal GDP was 8.9%.
15:52So the real and nominal GDP are, you know, being technical, you're moving in opposite directions.
15:57That's a clear disastrous sign.
16:00Your wholesale price index is barely nothing, which means there's no demand.
16:04There's no private investment.
16:05That's one of the questions that Rajdeep also asked.
16:07There is a private investment.
16:09And mind you, anyone who goes to Davos, you know, you're a large contingent people.
16:15It's a capitalist corporate gathering.
16:18Do you think anyone is going to say a bad thing?
16:20They'll know India is doomed.
16:22What kind of expect?
16:23Why not?
16:23I should not know that.
16:24I should not know that.
16:24I should not know that.
16:24I should not know that.
16:24What are you going to expect?
16:25Come on, these are global economies.
16:26They have no skin in the game.
16:28No, no, no, no, no, no.
16:30There, it's a different...
16:31Come on.
16:32Nobody's obvious there.
16:33They won't get visas next time to come to India.
16:35What are you saying?
16:36You know what happened to academics.
16:36Geeta Gopinath would not talk about pollution.
16:39She would not be honest and candid about pollution.
16:41Exactly my point.
16:42They moderated their replies by saying, no, our policy is tickled.
16:46It's got to look at again.
16:48The pollution is not there.
16:50Rajdeep asked the question about lack of transparency in data,
16:54which clearly shows you haven't had a national census in the last 12 years.
16:59You just started it now.
17:00That means all your data coming in is to 2011, right?
17:05How can you develop economic policies if you don't know the population of your country
17:09and therefore lack of transparency?
17:12It also said the last gentleman that Rajdeep spoke to said that India is not in the conversation
17:17in the global economy.
17:18He said China versus America that you hear we are completely marginal players.
17:23That is seen from the MAGTRO data, the FDIs that are coming in.
17:26I can go on and on, Akshita.
17:28This is my favorite topic.
17:29And, you know, I can just go on.
17:32Akshita, I will have a follow-up question for you.
17:34But let me give a chance to the BJP first to make their opening comments.
17:37Mr. Aarpi Singh, go ahead.
17:38You've heard Akshita there talk about how and why the Congress believes
17:42that India is a dead economy.
17:44Your response?
17:46Well, Akshita, there's a part in the brain which is called palatial cortex.
17:52Probably Rahul Gandhi has a problem with that.
17:55That's why I see his palatial cortex being dead.
17:59That's why he keeps doing this and saying what he keeps saying.
18:03Indian economy is dead.
18:05We are the number four economy in the World Cup with Japan.
18:08I mean, how could we have done that good?
18:11We were among the 11th when UPA was there and we have done much better.
18:16But coming to what's happening, our GDP is ongoingly growing from the last many quarters.
18:22And it still will grow just how all the world-rating agencies, IMF, World Bank feels about it.
18:29Secondly, almost 25 crore people have been brought out on the poverty line.
18:35This is not my data.
18:36It's again World Bank which has said so.
18:38That we have almost 25 crore people who have brought out on the poverty line.
18:42And I still remember the welfare schemes, the money spent on welfare schemes, almost 50 lakh crore rupees which we have spent in the last few years and out of which has reached to every individual which was targeted with that welfare scheme.
18:56Unlike earlier when it used to be only 15% which used to go and 85% used to be siphoned off or used to be there was a pilgrimage of 85%.
19:05We remember when we came to power, the status of banks were in shambles.
19:15Today, banks are robust and doing well.
19:18And also, SBA is among the Fortune 500 companies in the world today.
19:23Not only that, let's talk about how we have grown on airways, roadways, railways, metro, bridges, rural roads.
19:32Every year, 11 lakh crore rupees is being spent on infrastructure itself.
19:37So, these are the parameters for the growth of economy.
19:41And also, how can we forget the defence?
19:43We used to always procure, almost import 90% of defence equipment.
19:48Today, we are producing, give me another second, we are doing almost 70% of the domestic production on the defence and how to forget the space technology.
19:58We are the cheapest in the satellite launch in the world and in the world where various countries are tying up with us for their satellite launches.
20:05So, on every parameter, we are doing good, even on social parameters, we are doing good.
20:11As far as generation of self-employment, there are schemes of the government which alone has been given to almost 42 crore people where self-employment has been generated.
20:23So, we are in what times when the world is in difficult times?
20:28And we are doing much better than various other economies in the world today.
20:32Anshul, you want to respond to that, that, you know, at a time when we have seen a lot of turbulence across the world,
20:36there are so many economists who, of course, you are choosing to say it doesn't matter what they have to say,
20:42but they are highlighting the fact that India is doing well and in the face of an unpredictable Trump,
20:47God knows what he is going to throw at any country next.
20:50In the face of that, you know, the way India has chosen to respond, many, many experts have chosen to,
20:55I'll highlight for you what the economist itself has spoken of.
20:58Speaking of Prime Minister Modi's economic pragmatism, they've said this reformist turn deserves praise.
21:07No, you know, Akshita, if you choose to look at the figure that India is, you know, a whatever, $4 trillion economy,
21:15and, you know, weigh that against our economic progress, then that's highly misleading.
21:19It's a complete smokescreen because you have to look at the per capita GDP.
21:24Some people may be making a lot of money that may have skewed figures.
21:28Do you know, according to all the inequality reports that are coming in,
21:331% of the population owns 40% of India's resources.
21:37That truly cannot be the parameter to which to judge.
21:41No, Mr. R.P. Singh, I respect a lot.
21:43He's shown a lot of figures.
21:45Let me just respond to them.
21:46They're not inaccurate.
21:47Can I just respond to him?
21:48Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
21:49No, just look at the real figures.
21:53Which world are you leading into?
21:54Are you leading into a world, into a future where you celebrate a figure like 20?
21:59That may go to $8 trillion.
22:01It's not going to go beyond that because the economy is not progressing.
22:05There is a cloud of doubt against the GDP figure, which Mr. R.P. Singh also closed, which is 8.2%.
22:11Because all your other macroeconomic indicators are terrible.
22:15Your FDI, your net FDI, which is capital inflows in India, your net FDI fell to 96% last year.
22:24People are pulling their money out.
22:26They're not investing in India.
22:27Your PLI scheme, which is supposed to be Akshita, your flagship scheme, which also Fareed spoke about in that interview.
22:34Let me just tell you a bit about it.
22:35You spend 2 lakh crores in making mobile sets, which are largely imported from China.
22:41You assemble them, and then you send them back and say that you've done a great deal.
22:45You spent 2 lakh crores in that investment.
22:47The government claims that they have made employment of 12 lakh employment by spending 2 lakh crores.
22:56They have claimed that.
22:57We don't even know how much employment has gone.
22:59This is complete imbalance.
23:02This realises is an absolute disaster.
23:04All your economic indicators.
23:07By the way, your hunger index, you're 105.
23:10Your human development index, you're 140 out of 190.
23:13No, but you're also cherry picking here, Anshu.
23:15You're also cherry picking here.
23:17No, I'm looking at...
23:18You're choosing to ignore the positive side of it.
23:21I acknowledge.
23:21You know, what is the definition of a dead economy?
23:24What is the definition of a dead economy ultimately?
23:26That there is gross levels of iniquity.
23:30That few people make a lot of money, and the rest, which is reflected in your...
23:34These are macro figures, by the way, reflected in your per capita and all the reports that have come out.
23:39Nobody spoke about India's iniquity.
23:41Did anyone ask that question?
23:43What about your GDP?
23:45What about your global hunger index?
23:47What about your human development index?
23:48These are also, you know, foreign organisations.
23:52When you quote World Bank and say how great India we are doing, you should quote other organisations...
23:55No, so you're quoting World Bank.
23:56World Bank.
23:57You also quote a future upgrade, a GDP, fourth largest economy.
24:00None of that matters.
24:01You're ignoring all of that.
24:02I'm telling you, it doesn't matter because that money is controlled by, you know, your high-frequency indicators.
24:09I admit, I'm not disputing what Mr. R.P. Singh is saying.
24:12Your high-frequency indicators show a wonderful picture.
24:16That means rich are getting richer.
24:18Companies are making a lot of money.
24:19The stock market is going high.
24:20Where are they spending their money?
24:22They're not putting in private capital because that was Rajiv's question, right?
24:26It's everybody's question.
24:27They're not, what are they doing?
24:28They're deleveraging.
24:29That means they're settling off their debt.
24:30The books are really robust and they're making a lot of money.
24:34Where is the money going?
24:35Mr. R.P. Singh, your response, please.
24:38The Congress saying essentially rich getting richer, poor getting poorer in India.
24:43Well, Akhita, how many bridges, how many flyers, how many roads?
24:48I mean, can you imagine the road infrastructure today?
24:50We are one of the best in the world today is where the road infrastructure goes.
24:56Not leave the highways.
24:57The airports have been doubled.
24:59The hospitals have been doubled.
25:00I mean, all that generates employment.
25:04I mean, when you build up road, it generates employment.
25:06And as I told you, the Prime Minister's self-employment scheme, there's almost 42 crore people who have taken a small-scale loan from 50,000 to 5 to 10 lakh rupees.
25:15But they're also generating employment.
25:17But the issue is, I mean, as I said, the man suffers from patrial cortex.
25:24I mean, you can't help him because Mr. Rahul Gandhi is a problem.
25:26No, no, Mr. R.P. Singh, let's stick to data.
25:28Let's stick to data and facts, please.
25:29Let's stick to data and facts to counter what the Congress has said, what you have to say.
25:33I told you, I just now told you, I just now told you, I just now told you, okay.
25:35So you have highlighted, okay.
25:37Give me a second, give me a second, give me a second.
25:39I mean, more than 16 crore people were given public, sorry, toilets.
25:45I mean, obviously the money would have gone into it.
25:47It would have generated employment.
25:49I mean, you can build up 16 crore toilets without generating employment.
25:54The scheme for housing, more than 4 crore people were given houses last year, last five years.
26:02I mean, obviously that would have generated employment.
26:05I mean, it can't be done in the thin air.
26:08Yeah, so all these segments which are generating employment, they are being overlooked by my
26:13Congress friend.
26:15Okay, okay.
26:16You know, ultimately, ultimately, you can look at the data whichever way you want.
26:20You can cherry pick which side of the debate you want to be on and figure out what you really
26:24think of India's economy either way.
26:26But thank you very much, gentlemen, for joining me, Mr. R.P. Singh and Anshul Avajit for your
26:30time and for joining us here on To The Point.
26:32We leave it to you, the viewer, to decide whether you agree with Rahul Gandhi or not.
26:35Is India a dead economy or when economists say that India is thriving, India's got a great
26:40growth story?
26:41Do you agree with that version?
26:43From breaking barriers in space to shaping India's future mission, space icon Sunita Williams spoke
27:01exclusively to Preeti Chaudhary on life beyond active space flight, her love for animals, her
27:07bond with Kalpana Chawla and much, much more.
27:09Here's a short excerpt from that exclusive interview, you can catch the full conversation
27:14with Sunita Williams this weekend.
27:22I just would, you know, want to begin with the fact of you retiring 27 years and, you
27:28know, before all of this.
27:30I want to ask you, how would you introduce yourself to our listeners, to our audiences?
27:37You know, Captain Sunita Williams had to introduce herself because you're used to very rich
27:41introductions wherever you go.
27:42Yeah, yeah.
27:43And, you know, I can.
27:44And yesterday I read out a full sheet of that.
27:46So I'd like you, if you can introduce yourself to our listeners and viewers, what would you
27:51say?
27:51Oh, wow.
27:53I would say hi.
27:54My name is, what my mother used to call me, Sunny Williams.
27:58I'm a former Navy helicopter pilot and just retired from NASA as a NASA astronaut.
28:04Is that it?
28:06Yeah, I think that's where I would go.
28:08That's where you'd go?
28:09I just want to take...
28:10I think other things I would probably say is I used to be a competitive swimmer and I
28:14love animals.
28:15Those are some of the key characteristics about me.
28:18And I just would want to add that the kind of records that you've made, 27 years in service
28:23with the NASA.
28:24And I want to read this out because three missions to the International Space Station,
28:29608 days in space, nine space walks, over 62 hours in open space, the most by any woman
28:36in history and also running a marathon, which is the Boston Marathon in space.
28:39And there's so much more.
28:41When you close this chapter and as you retire today, as you hang up your astronaut suit, Captain
28:47Williams, I want you to take a minute to possibly reflect on what this journey really was.
28:54Also, is this, you know, is there surrender pity in it that the announcement of your retirement
28:59is coming when you're in India because, you know, your origin, Indian origin, and most
29:04of us back home feel that we have a bit of, you know, stakeholder in your life and career
29:11and how it's spanned out?
29:13Wow.
29:14You know, I'm excited about retirement for one thing because I feel like it was a good
29:20time to leave.
29:21The chapter that I lived in for NASA, it was building and working on the International Space
29:26Station.
29:27And we're coming to the next chapter for NASA.
29:31And the next chapter is going back to the moon.
29:33And all the work that we've done on the International Space Station, I think, is helping us inform
29:37our decisions as we make new spacecraft, think about sustainably living on the moon and how
29:42we're going to maybe build a place where people could be there on the moon for a long period
29:46of time.
29:47All of the data that we have gathered over the last, for the space station, 25 plus years,
29:53and that includes all the buildings.
29:55That's my whole career, will help inform that next generation of explorers and exploration.
30:02You know, I love that video when you came in and it was homecoming and your two dogs,
30:06your car, that was so cute.
30:08Is that the reason why you have those paw print tattoos on your arm?
30:12Well, it was funny, like you mentioned in the beginning, how would I describe myself?
30:15That's sort of why I would say an animal lover, like that definitely came from, you know,
30:19my mother's side of my family a little bit more, but my father really liked our pets as
30:24well later in life.
30:26And so, I don't know, I've always loved watching animals.
30:30I think they're really genuine.
30:32They're really pure.
30:34They don't have all the distractions, the mess that us humans do and the pain that we go through
30:43by just listening to our own heads, you know, like you were talking about.
30:46And I think I value watching them.
30:49I value taking lessons learned from them.
30:51And, you know, that pure joy is something that we have inside of us, too.
30:56We just sort of suppress it a little bit.
30:58The paw print tattoos that you have, are they your dogs?
31:01This was a Jack Russell Terrier that I had in, I got him in 2001 and I had him until 2017.
31:08So, he was my old boy, but, you know, went through a lot with me as I was training and
31:12getting ready to go to space.
31:14He traveled with me to Russia when I was training for my second space flight.
31:18So, he was my little buddy, yeah.
31:21Captain Williams, you know, it's a personal question and you can choose not to answer it.
31:24But the last time you were here, there was a lot of conversation about you wanting to
31:28adopt an Indian girl.
31:30You know, your sister had spoken about it and it seemed that there was interest.
31:35Why didn't you go through with it?
31:36Or was it something that you battled with in your head?
31:39Because the press seemed to suggest that you wanted to adopt a young girl from India.
31:43Well, my sister did adopt two children from India.
31:46Oh, lovely.
31:47Yeah.
31:47So, you know, we all had talked about it at different times.
31:51My life is a little bit complicated.
31:53Both my husband and I were professionals that moved around quite a bit.
31:57And I would say, unfortunately, we didn't have children.
32:00And I think my biggest goal in life is try to be a positive impact on kids.
32:04Probably one of the reasons I love coming and talking to kids.
32:07Um, and, you know, for me, it really wasn't a feasible idea just because my schedule was
32:14so crazy.
32:15And I, I really value, I value my parents.
32:18My husband really valued his parents as well.
32:21And I think two parents in the household with children is a really good idea just to provide
32:26a really awesome role models.
32:28You're somebody who have, who speaks all the time in all your interviews.
32:32You have spoken about teen, about, you know, coming in together, making things happen.
32:39And something which a lot of us teared up on in India was your, the hug that you gave two
32:44days ago to Kalpana Chawala's mother.
32:46Yeah.
32:46And, um, after that, she spoke to the press and she says, in Hindi, in Chase Punjabi also,
32:53she says, that when Kalpana Chawala died in that tragic crash, uh, you know, on board,
33:02uh, uh, in 2003, that you went and stayed with her family for three months.
33:07And she spoke about Sunita used to come at nine in the morning and leave at 10 at night.
33:12She's like my daughter.
33:14Is it stunning up for a friend being a team player?
33:18What was it?
33:18Oh, that's what, what a compliment.
33:20Um, she's amazing.
33:22So their whole family is amazing.
33:23And then a very, very, of course, unexpected and tough time.
33:29Right.
33:29So, um, just how to try and help people make sense out of the whole situation.
33:34Uh, you know, of course she hadn't lived in India for quite some time and I was lucky
33:38enough to be Kalpana's friend.
33:39And so just to share stories about her in the United States and hear stories about her
33:45and her lifetime in India, you know, we just spent a lot of time together.
33:49And I think it was a little cathartic to just, uh, reminisce and, and talk about her and
33:55just relive her life, uh, because it, it was absolutely a life worth living.
34:00And what she was represented and what she wanted in space is something that we in our office
34:07absolutely felt like we had to continue along with the rest of the Columbia crew.
34:10Um, we weren't going to say like, okay, we're done.
34:13We're not flying anymore.
34:14We're going to explore in their honor.
34:16That's why they were flying in space.
34:18All of them were explorers and we just wanted to continue that.
34:22So sharing that, um, ideas, cause that is a little bit different than a mother and a
34:27daughter having a conversation, but sharing, you know, her perspectives and how the astronaut
34:31office wanted to continue their legacy, I think was really important.
34:35And so I wanted to spend the time with them to make sure they understood that.
34:38And for me, it was good just to get to know them.
34:40They're just an amazing family and I'm still in touch with a lot of them.
34:44So it's really great.
34:45And they have the fondest thing to say both her sister and her mother about you.
34:49But Catherine Williams, speaking about the hair, you had, you had quite a few good hair
34:53days in space, didn't you?
34:55Something which the president of the United States also noticed.
34:58Yes.
34:59The lady with the crazy hair, I think something like that.
35:01Yeah.
35:02The lady with the crazy hair, we're bringing you back.
35:06It was nice.
35:08Is it a reason that you don't dye your hair or is it just that you want to wear your hair
35:12high that day?
35:13No, you know, I, um, there's, you know, it's an enclosed environment.
35:17I never even asked the question whether or not I could or could not.
35:20I didn't even go there because that would cause a lot of people to have to do a lot of work.
35:24It's an enclosed environment.
35:26You know, there's chemicals with dyeing your hair and stuff like that.
35:28I didn't want to cause anybody to have any problems, including myself in this enclosed
35:33environment.
35:33So I just let it go.
35:35What scares Captain Sunita Williams?
35:38Do you fear anything at all?
35:40Because it doesn't think that, or it doesn't seem that you fear anything.
35:43Oh, I feel, I'm in, I'm in normal human being.
35:46And, you know, there's things, of course, like when I'm hiking, I live out in the wilderness.
35:50And when I'm hiking, yeah, I'm, I'm conscientious of the, the, that it's, I'm in somebody else's
35:55house, this wild animal.
35:56So I'm in their house.
35:57I have to be respectful.
35:59I wouldn't say I was necessarily scared, but I am conscientious and aware of, of, of the
36:05wild animals that are out there.
36:06Right.
36:06And, and respectful of them.
36:09So that's one thing.
36:11You know, I don't know what else I'm afraid of.
36:14I, you know, for a long time I was afraid of the, you know, when it's too dark, you know,
36:18so, uh, when I was a kid and I, I still have that a little bit, it's, it's always nice to
36:24be home with another person versus by yourself when you're alone.
36:27Yeah.
36:28You know, like it's, you always listen to the cracks and the noises in your house or in
36:32your spacecraft or whatever, if you're alone or by yourself at some period of time.
36:36So it's always nice to have somebody else around.
36:37That's a little more comforting.
36:39I wouldn't necessarily say I was super scared, but, um, it's uncomfortable.
36:43Have you watched Interstellar?
36:45I've watched part of it.
36:46It's a long movie.
36:47Yes.
36:48So I haven't watched the whole thing.
36:49So I do need to go back and watch it because I, it's been recommended a number of times
36:52to me.
36:53Yeah.
36:53With whatever little bit you watch, do you see any similarities at all?
36:56I, I, I, yes, yes, yes.
36:58There's problems and you handle, you handle them piece by piece by piece.
37:02And there's a human aspect of that also.
37:04Right.
37:04So I think, you know, we want to maintain our, uh, relationships with, with people and you
37:11don't want to, um, explode or have an, you know, get aggravated and stuff.
37:14Cause that doesn't really help solve the problem.
37:17So we wish you well, we wish you good health and we hope to see you back in India.
37:21Thank you for doing this.
37:22Thank you so much.
37:23There's a reason Kashmir is known as heaven on earth.
37:42With snowfall, the valley is absolutely stunning, pristine, but beneath that also, let's highlight
37:48the disruption.
37:50Flights grounded, blocked roads and people struggling as normal life has been disrupted.
37:55Here's a special report.
37:56Winter titaned its grip across North India once again, as fresh snowfall blanketed large parts
38:13of Jammu and Kashmir and Machal Pradesh.
38:17In Kashmir, snowfall quickly resulted in flight delays and road closures.
38:22Operations at the Srinagar airport were hit hard as snowfall forced the cancellation of
38:30at least 26 flights.
38:34Airport authorities said snow clearance operations were underway on the runway, but airlines cautioned
38:41passengers to brace for delays and extended wait times as conditions continued to pose challenges.
38:47The mercury dipped in roads turned treacherous across the valley.
38:53Higher reaches bore the brunt of the snowfall, prompting the closure of several key mountain roads.
39:00Authorities have ordered the closure of schools in several areas of Kashmir as a precautionary measure,
39:06citing safety concerns amid freezing temperatures and slippery roads.
39:11Observatory
39:35India
39:36The winter spell, however, was not without its scenic movements.
39:43Tourist hotspot Gulmagh recorded 20 and 24 inches of fresh snow, transforming the Meadow Resort into a pristine white expanse.
39:53Meanwhile, Shimla woke up to its first snowfall of the season.
39:56The fresh snowfall across Jambun, Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh is part of a broader winter system affecting large swaths of North India.
40:12Shimla is famous for the winter, and the winter is famous for the winter, and today it is a winter.
40:17As cold intensifies, officials in Jambun, Kashmir and Himachal are racing against time, clearing roads and restoring connectivity.
40:45Bearer Report, India Today
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